Know Ye The Son...

For church today we had a minister from Altadena, CA and he commented on this hymn we sang, "Know ye the Son"

He shared how in his own life it is sometimes difficult to really Know the Son and he challenged us that when, perhaps, the money is getting tight and we get an unexpected bill in the mail, or even in times of wealth, or perhaps in times of sickness, or the loss of a child or parent, do we then KNOW THE SON?

If we begin to really Know the Son more intimately, we will have a hard time not sharing that developing relationship with people who desperately need to know the Son.   

Now What???

Mr. President Barak Hussein Obama......Now What?

I guess I'll still have the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a very lost country.  Perhaps without a President who we feel is looking out for our Christian benefit, we'll put our full trust in the Author and Finisher of our faith.  I'll still have the opportunity to try and help people see the Truth in the Bible and the gift of Salvation that God offers us through the sacrifice of His Son.  I'll still wake up every morning thanking God for the breath He gives me and seek to honor Him each day.  I'll still walk tall as a child of God, humble in His Grace and Strength.  I'll still give him all the Glory and Honor.  

Remember.........HE IS STILL ON THE THRONE!!!

Evidently He needs Mr. Obama for his work.  What's great, is Mr. Obama hasn't any power except it be given him by God himself.

It does deeply sadden me to see a man like this get voted into the highest office in the world by a majority of our own countrymen.  This is the worst part of it all.  Our Founders would be sick to their stomach right about now.

Now, more than ever, we need Laborers in the fields working for our Father!!!   Get over your fears and start sharing the Gospel with the dying souls around you!

This is the God we serve!!!

When we get a little scared or intimidated to talk to a human, remember who our MASTER is.  

HE's pretty big and pretty powerful, HE has all the answers, all the power, all the resources, all the promises, all the judgments, vengence is HIS says the LORD, the earth is his footstool, HE breathes stars, HE speaks light into being, HE sets the borders of the sea, HE is called HOLY! HOLY! HOLY!, if we didn't praise HIM the rocks would cry out, HE gave us life, HE DIED FOR OUR SIN, HE is preparing an eternal home for HIS children who repent and trust HIM alone........

What was our excuse again for not sharing this GOD with people who don't know him?

I apologize for slacking in posting the past weeks.  No good excuse.  

I appreciate everyone who comments.  It really encourages me to be more diligent in my preparation and witnessing.  The more people that comment, the more I know read my blog, and hopefully are encouraged by it, the more accountability I have with men.  

Bible before (or with) breakfast is my aim.  Ray Comfort has literally read his Bible, without fail, every day for the past 20+ years!  What a testimony.  There really is no excuse.  I also heard a brother say, "If I fail to read the Bible in the morning, I'm too ashamed to at the end of the day."  I find this to be pretty true.  

GALATIANS 1:6-12

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned?  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.  I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."

"The time that I have left is all I have of worth." 

Go Share Your Faith While You Still Have Time!

While sometimes I go "fishing" for souls with whom you can share the Gospel with, there are other times when God simply sends someone literally right to me.  Meet Michael.  Homeless, confused chronically with a schizophrenic disorder, he was strolling the riverwalk looking for a quick buck from a compassionate, or guilty, passerby.  When he asked me for a couple bucks to get some food, I invited him to dinner with Laura and my grandparents instead.  To my surprise and somewhat delight, he agreed.  Talking to Michael was at first like reasoning with someone who agrees with everything you say.  He would respond to everything with a blank, "uh huh."  You never know if you are reaching people like this so I just kept talking with him emphasizing emotions as it seemed like he didn't have any.  We were excited to see Michael respond with more emotion and smiles as the dinner went on.  I gave him a Bible as a gift and some clearly written Gospel tracts.  Before he left, I asked him what I ask everyone I witness to.   "What do you need to do to get to Heaven?"  He responded with an affirmative, "I need to repent."  This was all I could ask of him and I continue to pray that Michael will truly have clarity of mind to repent and put his full trust in Jesus and His death on the cross.  It was awesome to have grandma and grandpa there as they both shared in the witness encounter, adding to the genuineness of what we were sharing.  Michael also was grateful for the dinner and said how many people, even Christians, would never have invited him for dinner.  He was truly touched and we were thankful that God brought him to us for the evening.  You never know when the least of his brethren will be needing something, most importantly, the Gospel of Jesus. 

This is what it's all about..........this just makes you want to weep with joy over this sinner who repents.  Notice he hasn't been to church yet?  Notice he hasn't read a faith or doctrinal statement yet?  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is sufficient to save souls.  After we've shared the Gospel to a soul and they are willing and ready to repent from their sins, then we can bring them into our church to help them further the process of repentance and grow into a mature believer.  Let's not underestimate the power of God in a conversion and overestimate the power of church in a conversion.  If a soul is not changed by a rebirth of Christ into their hearts, no church process will do a bit of good.  We need to be preaching the Gospel in our communities seeking souls who are ready and willing to repent, and perhaps then our churches would grow.

BREAKING NEWS>>

The World Netted Daily Reports:

Read this like the evening news, it sounds better.... :)

It's official now, as AC news media has recently released, that a brother in Alabama has used the Way of the Master framework to witness to people in his community!  We're certain this is not the first brother or sister to step into the unknown and witness, but encouraging none the less. Sources have also made it clear that he has been teaching the brethren in his congregation to use this effective witnessing technique.  Sources say that this revolutionary (actually it comes from Jesus himself) framework for evangelism should hit the mainstream AC way in the next few years.  It is expected that many young people will respond to this new (old) shift in evangelism, that encourages people to talk to other people, specifically, about Jesus.  Training ACs to verbally witness effectively to a lost world has been on the back burner of the AC agenda, and it is more than encouraging to see this renewed effort to seek and save the lost. With so many sects of religious beliefs in the world that look very similar to ACs outwardly, but preach a heresy, we must couple our "lifestyle witness" with actual words of truth.  ACs are encouraged to exhort the brothers and sisters around them to go out into the world and preach the Gospel to every nation.  "Go serve your King, while you still have time."   

Wilyu Fisch-AC News

  

This song "My House is Full, But My Field is Empty"
was written by Lanny Wolfe.

There is peace and contentment in my Father's house today,
Lots of food on His table and no one turned away.
There is singing and laughter as the hours pass by,
But a hush calms the singing as the Father sadly cries,

My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for Me today.
It seems my children want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work my fields,
No one wants to work my fields.

Push away from the table.
Look out through the windowpane,
Just beyond the house of plenty
Lies a field of golden grain.
And it's ripe unto harvest,
But the reapers, where are they?
In the house,
Oh, can't the children hear
the Father sadly say,

My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for Me today.
It seems my children want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work my fields,
No one wants to work my fields.

Tonight was a wonderfully interesting night!  On our way home from a 90th birthday party of a good friend, we stopped at Walmart at about 10:00.  What a time to meet and witness to young people just "hangin' out."  I took some gospel tracts and began speaking to a group of young people, one guy (David) and two girls.  The conversation started with one of the tracts asking the question in the form of a scratch off ticket, "What is the world's most popular fairytale?"  This girl immediately sensed that I was a Christian and responded with a bold, "I think the Bible is the biggest fairy tale."  The conversation continued with trying to reason with this very immature girl who couldn't have come up with more red herrings if she tried.  "How can you believe that Paul could throw dirt into someone's face and it be a good thing?"  Um...first of all young lady, it wasn't Paul, and second of all, Jesus made clay and put it in the man's eyes and healed him, and thirdly, Jesus gets to do anything He wants to because he's God.  (Going through my mind, but not out my mouth ;)  The entire time this self righteous, proud, and disrespectful girl was conversing with me, the young man was listening intently.  When finally their friends came out of the store, and the girl gladly announced that she had to go, this young man steps forward and asks for the 24 page "WHY CHRISTIANITY?" tract (available at WayoftheMaster.com) that I had, and basically wanted to know where he could go to church or if he could go with me.....That's one hard part of having a church so far from where your circle of influence is.  I have to trust God that he will provide for that humble, seeking soul.  I sent him to our church's website and told him that we could meet him or pick him up any Sunday, but the reality of that is slim.  I was completely unprepared for his open hearted reaction as that is the first person who genuinely knew he needed to do something now!  He understood repentance and the need to turn from sin, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and resurection.  The tract he received goes through all of that in depth, but I also wish I could tell him, "Yeah, Sunday, we are having church right down the street at 10 am!"  Perhaps a small group in our own town park once a month or something would be beneficial to help our churches grow from without.  There are so many people out there that have perfect soil for the word, but so many times it never gets sown in their hearts.  God will find a way to reach a soul if he wants to, but why not be used as reaper for His harvest.  As the old song sadly says, "They all want to sit around my table, but no one wants to work in my fields." 

The next people we talked to were believers but I still wanted to walk them through the law and show them our need for a Saviour and what true repentance and conversion is.  They were very encouraged and encouraged me to continue to speak to people on the street because, "there aren't many people who do what you do."  This is a sad truth that I don't take pride in but rather encourage more believers to share the Gospel to a lost a dying world.

  

Speaking of lost and dying, the last group of people I talked to took it all out of me.  I need to sleep now and be rejuvenated by the spirit before heading back out into the world to seek and save those who are lost. Their names were Ronan, Chris (pictured), and Dingbat with a capital "D".  (The entire time I was talking with these guys, satan had the Dingbat mumbling incoherent nothings about how they had to "drive" because there were people waiting for them cause they were gonna "party, man!")  

I started by speaking with Ronan as he pumped gas into his old beater truck.  I had just seen Chris carry about 3 cases of beer into the truck and thought this would certainly be a couple guys who could stand to hear the Gospel.  Ronan was a backslidden catholic ;) as he readily admitted that he smokes weed 

and drinks.  As I began to reason with Ronan, Chris gets out of the truck and starts "f-ing this and that" and telling me to basically beat it because they have a party to go to.  (Well, shoot fire, what was I doing getting in their way?  They obviously didn't want me to talk about Jesus to them, so why not just let them be?  What was that Jesus said about not coming to save the righteous, but SINNERS?  Well here where three of them and thankfully God gave me courage to stand and speak truth to these guys.)  As Chris stepped in to "protect" Ronan and shoo me away, the conversation 

turned to him.  I was able to show, to Chris, the reason I was talking to them, when I asked him the simple question.  "If you saw an old blind man walking toward the interstate ramp while a Mack truck was bearing down on him, what would you do?"  

"I would help him."  

"Why?"  

"Because it's the right thing to do."  

"Why!?"  

"Because I value his life!"

"Right.  And that's why I'm here talking to you."

I tried to reason with Chris that the Bible is the Truth based on historicity and helped him to realize that the sin that he found so pleasureable would be the same sin that God would punish by sending him to Hell eternally.  Just as a judge won't let a condemned criminal go unpunished, so God has all the right to throw us into Hell forever.  Even asking for forgiveness won't do a bit of good.  God only allows us to go free because of what he did to his only begotten Son.  Noone is simply "forgiven".  He poured out all his wrath on Him as he hung in our place.  We must repent from our sin, and trust in Jesus' death on the cross as complete payment for our sin.

Chris went from a cursing smoking sinner to a cursing less, smoking sinner who had the seed of the Gospel planted in his head and heart.  I have no idea what God has in mind for that young man, but I've heard of much greater sinners who have fallen to their knees and repented before a Holy God.  Please pray for Chris, Ronan, and the Dingbat, as well as David and Paul and Teresa who all had the seed of the Gospel planted into their hearts.  I don't get to choose the soil on which I sow.  God be praised He is the one that does the saving, not me!

How Deadly is Sin?

HOW DEADLY IS SIN?  

How subtle is satan?  How curious do we tend to get?  How often does sin seem harmless?

WATCH AND LEARN!

 The funny thing is it doesn't matter how many times I watch it even in slow motion, and my heart still tries to exit my cranium!  

(Found on JED TAUFER's vlog-thanks jed for the heart check)

When you forget exactly why you should be grateful for God's Grace in saving us, and why we should obey him out of appreciation, remember, "While we were yet sinning against Him, Christ died for us!"

Always be ready to give an answer...(or just start a converstion with a stranger)

I recently met a young man with a past. He is well known throughout his community. Many people regard him as a hopeless case. This was not the case. He has a huge tatoo on his back. If you get close enough, you'll notice it is himself kneeling before the cross....only in this image, the man's hands are chained. When I asked him why the hands are chained he soberly told me that he knew he was not completely forgiven by God because he has yet to make a complete and sincere repentance. I reasoned with the young man trying to figure out what he's waiting for. He told me he has some hang-ups and that he wants it to be right when he does it. What better time could there be than today? Please pray for this young man that he would seek his soul's salvation so his chains can be broken today!

This is the story of Eliot.  It helps me remember Malakai.  It helps me realize that there are others feeling the way I feel.  I makes me so thankful for an experience in my life that God was able to use to show Himself to me.  I would not know God the way I know him today if it wasn't for Malakai.  Eliot and Malakai are together now, praising God for how Great He is!  I can't wait to join them.

I had another opportunity to watch how God works in people's lives, regardless of their current walk of life.  Sergio was walking on the interstate and I gave him a ride to my exit.  I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be self employed, or employed by God himself, where I have time to help people I meet.  God never lets me pass someone on the road without assessing the situation and stopping if they look like they need help.  Sergio was a believer but for whatever reason, was walking from south Texas to Oklahoma.  He wasn't too surprised that I stopped as I was just a little part of God's provision for him that day.  The Bible tells us that not one sparrow drops to the ground without our Heavenly Father knowing.  Do you think he honestly ignores people who are homeless, because they don't work? Sergio shared with me that just that morning he was praying that God would provide for him that day because he had been harassed by a police officer who thought he was drunk and pushed his head to the pavement, cutting his eye.  His stitches were getting nasty and itching after a week of drying in the sun, and he wondered how he would get them out.  Soon after he began walking a Doctor stopped to give him a ride.  When he dropped him off he pulled a pair of scissors out of a bag and delicately removed his stitches.  God watches the least of his children intently and provides for them as he provides for each of the rest of his children.

Charles Spurgeon Exhortation to Preach the Gospel!

"Oh, you that preach Christ, preach him boldly! No coward lips must proclaim His invincible gospel! Oh, you that preach Christ, never choose your place of labor; never turn your back on the worst of mankind! If the Lord should send you to the borders of perdition, go there and preach Him with full assurance that it shall not be in vain.

Oh, you that would win souls, have no preference as to which they shall be; or, if you have a choice, select the very worst! Remember, my Master’s gospel is not merely for the moralist, in His respectable dwelling, but for the abandoned and fallen in the filthy dens of the outcast. The all-conquering light of the Sun of Righteousness is not for the dim dawn alone, to brighten it into the full blaze of day, but it is meant for the blackest midnight that ever made a soul to shiver as in the shadow of death. The name of Jesus is high over all, in Heaven, and earth, and sky, therefore let us preach it with authority and confidence; not as though it were an invention of men. He has said He will be with us, and therefore nothing, is impossible. The Word of the Lord Jesus cannot fall to the ground, the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. The Lord shall bruise Satan under our feet shortly."

At what level of "blackness" do we draw our line and in essence say, "Not that person, Lord.... And certainly not that one."?

My representation of the expression of thanks and gratitude that Robert showed to us when he received his Bible.  

Meet Mike.  (Master Plumber) 

Today I was privaledged to be in Austin while Laura met a friend for lunch.  God led me to talk to Mike who was taking a break from "flying a sign."  I struck up a conversation with him and through the kindness of giving him some snacks and a drink, he opened up to me.  I shared with him the Good News of the Bible and gave him his very own Bible to read and learn from.  Good news was what Mike needed to hear as he shared with me later his struggles with wanting to end his life every day.  He told me with a sad la

ugh that if he wasn't such a chicken, he would have done it long ago.  I assured him I was glad he was such a chicken and there are actually wonderful things to live for.  God's love for him in sending His own Son to die on the cross for our sins, was not the least.  I told him about Malakai and how I would never have willingly given my son's life for anyone on this earth.  I don't have that kind of love.  But God, while we were still sinning, sacrificed His beloved Son on the cross.  I tried to give Mike hope that is eternal as well as hope of earthly progress.  These people honestly don't know how to get out of their situation.  The local homeless shelter doesn't let anyone shower after 3:00 pm, so anyone wanting to work a full day and then get a shower and bed is out of luck.  Not too convenient for people looking for help.  I told him about a ministry in SA where he could seek help as well as the nation's largest, most comprehensive homeless assistance facility which is under construction right now in SA.  I 

offered him a ride this afternoon if he would like to go, but he wasn't quite ready for that yet.  I left him my cell phone number so when he (and his girlfriend JoJo, and her brother Blake) were ready, I would take as many as would want to go.  The greatest thing these people need is answers.  They don't know what's out there beyond the "woods" as they call the streets in Austin.  They don't have anyone to turn to, and so they help the people who have become their family, in the street world that has become their home.  They survive, as they tell me, but would love it to be different.  Bad decisions brought them here, but now, to many of them, there's no way out.  Bottom is Jeff, a musician who is waiting for the Federal Government to complete a "case" he's been involved in.  He's sure that any day he will hear from someone and he'll get "out."   ;)

Lamentations 4 paints an accurate picture of these souls.....

    

5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those nurtured in purple
now lie on ash heaps.
8 But now they are blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as a stick.
15 "Go away! You are unclean!" men cry to them.
"Away! Away! Don't touch us!"
When they flee and wander about,
people among the nations say,
"They can stay here no longer."

Yesterday, Laura, Josh and Courtney Roberts, and I had a wonderful experience with more hurting people who live on the streets of San Antonio.  Mary, "Preacher", Edward the Drifter, and Robert (below) along with Doug, Steven, Jon (Mary's husband of 18 years) and a couple of Katrina victims who now live in San Antonio, helped us again to broaden our viewport through which we perceive people in our world.  God called us to preach and teach all nations baptizing and making disciples.  So often we are certain that God is not talking about the grungy people who are smoking a homemade cigarette and drinking their second or third beer of the day.  

Edward's father was stabbed to death when he was 2 and his mother then left him to be raised by his grandmother.  She died when he was 12 and he was forced to work to keep his sisters fed. Drugs was the most available source of income and that carried him for a lot of years.  He married and had kids but when the drugs and money took priority in his life, as they always do, his wife left him with the kids and took every dollar he had.  He began walking the streets, finding himself in and out of jail for various violations, not the least of which was man slaughter, when in a drunken rage he strangled another man for stealing all his possessions.  He found his way to a homeless mission in Memphis where he was introduced to a light that shines brighter than all the pleasures of sin.  He came to understand the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for our sins and his need for repentance.  He continues to live on the streets, but as he shared with me, he knows he has to take the steps to get out of the mess he's in.  Tears ran down his cheeks as he share with us his story, recounting all he'd squandered for the love of money and dependence on drugs.  He made sure that before we left we all held hands and had a word of prayer for each of us.   Jon and Mary are homeless but every Sunday they help organize "Church Under the Bridge" for other homeless people, and every second Sunday of the month, they make a lunch for the people there.  We just have no idea who God is using to serve the "least of his brethren."  That verse probably isn't talking about the poorest family in your church.  Next time you see a person on the street, stop, take time to care and listen to their hurting hearts.  Give them a little food or a cold drink and they'll open their heart to you.  Your impact may not be immediately evident in their lives, but don't count out God's power in the equation of ministering and evangelizing.  Robert clutched his Bible when I passed one to him and kissed it weeping quietly to himself.  Seeing a reaction like that will motivate you to step out of the boat and enter the zone of discomfort and the unknown.  Only then will you see God begin to work!

"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men...."

Christ's description to the disciples is exactly what he wants you and I to be as well.  I was blessed to have run into a young man named Brandon today at the lake.  He had 3 poles in the water hoping for a bite, even after all his minnows fell in the lake.  I took a short relaxing swim and then struck up a conversation with him.  As God is always faithful, Brandon welcomed a spiritual conversation as he had just lost his grandpa in the past few years.  This was an opportunity for me to share with him that I understood his sorrow.  I shared Malakai with him and through the tenderness of that story helped Brandon see clearly his personal need for repentance and faith in Jesus for his salvation.  After walking Brandon through the law and our pitiful state before a Holy and Just God, he asked the perfect question....."So what's the answer, what can we do about it? "  That's about the time the chills go up my spine as I get to share with another person while reminding myself of the ultimate love of our God through His Son.  Once the groundwork of the Law and sin was laid, the Saviour was made special and important for Brandon.  He thanked me as I left and I encouraged him to "get right with God, tonight."  Brandon smiled and nodded, "I will!"  Pray for Brandon!

Thank you God for Malakai.  

Do you ever lose heart and feel like you can't take another step. That's where I am right about now. Laura and I have had to watch helpless as another child along with a huge part of our heart passed from this life into eternity. Although there is comfort in knowing Malakai is at rest waiting for the return of the Lord, as we are, the pain of touching tiny hands and feet that will never walk beside you or hold your hand is the hardest thing I've ever done. We appreciate so much all the prayers and cards and phone calls to encourage us during our loss. There's no prouder moment in a man's life than when his first son is born. There is no harder moment, than when that son lays lifeless in your hands. The moments that we had holding and marveling at our Malakai were moments that I'll burn into my heart and mind for all my life. The only time I'll forget that morning is the glorious morning when we meet him in the air, when our little boy runs to meet us in his glorified body and white robe.  What a day that will be.  

I'm trying to find strength through this experience to help me share the Gospel of Jesus with more compassion and boldness.  Life is so out of our hands and the only thing we can know for sure is whether or not we are clinging to our Saviour.  Laura has said that many times in the past weeks that she feels she can only fling herself at the feet of Jesus and cling to the hem of His garment.  When you are so low you have two options.....lose yourself in the fire of sorrows, or you can find yourself in the sorrows through the strength of our Lord.  Laura and I have experienced different emotions throughout this time, but we both have to "find ourselves in our sorrows."  Oswald Chambers said, "someone who has found themselves in the fire of their sorrows always has time for another soul who is suffering."  Perhaps this is the key to using our experience of having and letting Malakai go, to further the Gospel.  The verse on our announcement will be engraved on his tombstone.   

A Beautiful Goal

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven

I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.

I'll know my name is clear before my father.

I am His child, and I am not afraid!

So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive my brother;

The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who's learned compassion.

I've been so loved that I'll risk loving too.

I know how fear builds wall instead of bridges,

and I'll dare to see another's point of view.

And when relationships demand commitment

then I'll be there to care and follow you.

Thy kindom come around and through and in me.

Thy power and glory let them shine through me.

Thy hallowed name oh may I bear with honor

And may your living kingdom come in me.

The bread of life oh may I share with others,

Oh may you feed a hungry world through me!

I believe these words are by Gloria Gaither

Real Reel

Below is a video that is wonderful to watch.  This is such a typical response when confronted with God's righteousness and our sinfulness.  Self-righteousness is truly one of our favorite sins to hold onto, even after our conversion!  We must be honest with ourselves and listen intently to the Holy Spirit who will convict us of sins in our life.

This account is a good example and encouragement to us to speak to people.  Laura and I were going to a basketball game for a high school kid in our church and we decided to eat before the game....at subway, we wanted to eat fresh.  Anyway, once again we were the only people in the place, (that's a good time to strike up  conversation with anyone, 'cause their usually lonely and would love to talk with anyone) and there was a young high school kid working behind the counter.  As I paid for our cold cuts, I began to ask him some pressing questions, and as I commonly do, I lost complete track of time.  I didn't realize Laura had actually finished eating while I was still standing at the counter talking to this young man.  When someone else walked in, he actually said he wanted to hear more, and he would come talk to me after making a few sandwiches.  He came out after the other people had left and sat down with Laura and I, and continued to listen as I shared with him what I could of Biblical Truth.  He was soaking it up and listening intently with an extremely humble heart.  We left him with our number and encouraged him to find a local church that he could hear the Bible preached  in truth, and grow.  He understood his need for true repentance and we even got to discuss things like restitution and how important it is to be at peace both with God and man.  Christ sets us a peace with our Father but we have to make peace with our fellow man.  It was awesome to talk with him about the Gospel, but the most ironic thing was when we got to the game and apologized for being late, we found out that the AC couple, who's kid was playing, ate at the same restaurant we did.  They were dressed very modestly and she had her head covered and hair up and looked as Proverbs 31 and 1 Cor 11 as you can get.  To tell you the truth, I don't know what Laura was wearing, but she didn't look as AC as our good friend.  They were surprised that we talked with this kid and said, "Wow, we just smiled, said 'thank you' to him, and walked out."  Two couples from the same church entered the same restaurant, saw the same kid, one spoke, one simply appeared "different".  I say this not to lift anything up or put anyone down, but rather to make a point.  We have to realize that the way we look as typical AC's alone doesn't get people to a saving faith in Jesus.  It is wonderful that we have preserved these traditions, but don't rely on your looking "different" to be the factor that might cause someone to answer the call of God.  I think this is an especially easy thing to do within our church, where we outwardly stand apart from the majority of the world (also an easy way to hide inward darkness - so we must be real!).  We have got to supplement our exemplary living and outward modesty with preaching the truth.  If we preach the truth without living the example, it's perverted.  If we live the example without ever articulating to someone the truth of God's word, we've hidden the power of the Gospel from a dying world.  Let's pray for grace to WALK and TALK.

One of the first experiences that Laura and I had witnessing together happened in a clothing store where we were the only people in there and the clerk was a young woman that was well dressed and seemed to have everything together.  As usual, I don't know how God pushes me, but He does and I began to ask the girl if she went to college in the town.  She did and our conversation moved from all the pathetic things that professors shove down kids throats, to what she believed happened when we all die.  I started with sin, then tried to show her God's righteousness, then to his judgement and wrath weighing down on all mankind.  Throughout the conversation this young lady became very sober and as the spirit continued to work in her, she began to cry and share with us some of the things in her life that seemed to be working up to this conversation.  We shared with her about repentance and faith in Jesus and how he will convert our hearts and minds to want to serve him instead of serving ourselves.  She was so grateful that we talked to her and we were encouraged when we left that we had just spent about 10 minutes sharing with a human the most important and life saving truth, ever.  Laura and I were praying that God would give this young woman faith unto salvation and the grace she needed to repent and trust.  We don't know whom god will draw, but as it states clearly in Romans, how shall they believe on whom they have not heard?  

Bible and Breakfast

Ezekiel 3:17-19

"Son of man, I have made you a watchmen for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.  But if you do warn the wicked man, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself." 

 This is obviously a warning in the OT to Ezekiel, a specific prophet that if he didn't do his job and warn the people of God's judgment to come, then their blood was upon his head.  I believe this still applies to us in that God has made it clear in the NT that all men are unrighteous before him and we are all in waiting of His judgement.  Unless we heed the warning and fall at the feet of Jesus in repentance, we will likewise perish.  The rest of the world needs to be warned of their wicked ways, just as in the time of Ezekiel.  We can do this through presenting the 10 Commandments to someone as a mirror to show them that they have been living as a wicked person before God.  Be sure to include yourself in this group so they don't feel like you are condemning them and you are good to go!  If your motive is concern and compassion for the lost, the person you are witnessing to will feel that, and I have never had anyone tell me, "You've offended me!"  

Sunday Soup

Luke 15

Read Luke 15 as we had for our morning service and you can sum up in a few words the point Jesus is trying to make to the pharisees.  They were murmuring about Jesus' relationships with publicans and sinners.  Evidently they would come around him and he would teach them.  He proceeds to share with the people in rebuttal to their illegitimate concerns.  Here's my paraphrase of these three parables.  (Three parables in a row are intended to drive home the same point.)  

God has extreme compassion for lost souls!

If God has such compassion for lost souls, shouldn't we?  And Jesus, in the parable of the prodigal son, makes a point to identify that there is another soul involved, that of the other son, who hadn't done much wandering and was in constant communion with the father.  The Father (God) says to this son, "thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine."  This son represents us as born again, obedient children of God.  The Father is not as concerned about us as he is about the lost souls.....God is filled with compassion for drunkards, fornicators, adulterers, blasphemers, liars, cheats, murderers and desires that they all repent.   And where can we find these souls?  Probably these people will not be wandering into our churches, but they might be standing on the corner near our church.  They may be sitting on the ground at the gas station, or perhaps working the counter.  They may be your waiter or waitress or your kids babysitter, or your coworkers.  If we are to be his hands and feet, I believe with all my heart that God wants us to show the same compassion to these precious souls as Jesus did.  If God would leave the 99 to search for 1 lost soul, why can't we leave our comfort zone and share the wonders of His Grace to people who may be ready to return to their Father in repentance.  Let's not misjudge these people as we so often do, and walk on by, shaking our head at their dilemma.  We know the way to the Savior's arms, and perhaps, they are ready to listen.  

Open your mouth and God will give you words to speak......Start by walking up to someone and say, "Hey, how are you?"  This is the beginning of a wonderful conversation!   

Bible and Breakfast

Matthew 23:15

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are!"

These words are a warning to us who share the Gospel.  We must share the Truth in love with a pure motive hoping we plant the seed of genuine repentance into their hearts.  Without preaching to them the law first, we cannot possibly make Grace (God's undeserved favor towards mankind in that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us) make any sense to them.  If the first thing a doctor told a seemingly healthy patient was, "I've already prescribed the cure for your disease, you can pick it up when you leave today," the patient would wonder if the doctor perhaps confused him with another of his patients.  "I don't need the prescription, Doctor, because I don't have the disease your talking about!"  But, if the Doctor held up the results of the MRI that showed a baseball sized tumor on his left ventricle (I think that's in your leg ;) his patient would beg the doctor for a cure and he would be very attentive to his instructions.  When I have presented the Gospel to young people, using the law as a starting point, even the "coolest" of highschool and college kids have become humble before the Righteousness of God.  From there it is the spirit of God that moves them to repentance, not my words.  And that's the comfort and beauty of it, not my words, or our church, or any repeated prayer, or even his own deeds of goodness can bring about true repentance and conversion.  "No man can come unto Me except the Father draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day." 

Isn't It Enough that Christ Died for You?

As I watch and listen to this short testimony, I am reminded of the putrescence that satan draws me to.  In fact, if satan could have his way, he would make me exactly what I was.  You see, satan loves you just as you are...sinful and selfish, but God cannot tolerate what you are and desires to convert you by his power and love.  If it was up to my own efforts, I would return to that "vomit" I once slept in.  Oh for God's Grace and strength that he would save me, a wretched creature, and take time to work with me to sanctify me, to bring him more and more glory!   So many people around us are in this state, especially young people, and desperately need Him to save them too!  Share with them the Good News before they are lost forever.

[Paul Washer's miniTestimony]

As I think back on the many people God has enabled me to speak to about the Gospel, it is easy to forget all the faces and names.  It is neat how God works as just today, I ran into a young man outside the library who looked strikingly familiar.  I had seen him in Target just a few days before and thought I recognized him.  I didn't stop him then but today I stopped and asked his name.  He told me his name was Elario, which didn't ring a bell, but after a few seconds looking at each other, he asked, "Do I know you?" I then asked him if he owned a motorcycle as I remembered witnessing to a young man at the local gas station who was riding a bike.  He grinned as the memory of our conversation sparked to life in both our minds!  His name was Eli and I had asked him about his bike while pumping gas, then asked him if he is afraid of dying in a wreck.  We walked through the law and how we all have a death sentence against us if we die in our sins.  He knew Jesus was the answer to the dilemma, but had never heard the Gospel presented in a way that starts with the Law and moves gently to Grace through Christ.  He attends a local church and this morning I was able to encourage him on his Christian walk and renew a relationship that was started months ago.  He was one of the first people I stopped to witness to and he was so gracious to listen and contemplate what I had said.  Pray for Eli that he will continue to read his Bible and pray.

(photo is not actually Eli :)

Bible and Breakfast

James 2:14-17

 

What good is it my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James uses the example of helping christians who don't have daily food or clothing.  To me this seems to be talking about in our day, homeless Christians or Christians living in poverty either in our country or any other.  If we "feel bad" for them but do not do anything for them, we have proved our faith in Christ to be dead.  Or, as we often make the judgement call, "They don't need my help, they are just faking it!" 

The other difficult thing is to believe that that person on the street corner might actually be our brother or sister in Christ.  Don't think for a moment that the only brothers and sisters we have are sitting in the pews of our church.  It would be a pretty boastful to think that the only people who will be taken into Glory will be the members of our particular denomination.  Raymond, whom I met on the street corner, knew his Bible more comprehensively than I did, and had a much stronger faith that God would provide for his needs.  He taught me way more in 2 hrs than I could have ever taught him, and his Bible was much more worn than mine. :)

I love the lyrics from the Newsboy's song, "HE REIGNS"

God has been working another soft spot into my heart for the homeless.  There are countless stories about "dangerous" homeless people and hitchhikers and everyone will tell you their "horror story" about how they once tried to help a homeless person, and they "didn't even want my help".  I am going to tell you about a few experiences with these unfortunate people that I've had and hopefully you will be left with different ideas about men and women on the streets. 

My first real learning experience was when I stopped on my way home from work at our Exit and tried to "witness" to Raymond.  This photo reminds me of him as his eyes were intent and his face serious.  I began as I often do with a "fun" million dollar bill gospel tract.  That was enough to set off the fire under Raymond's stocking hat.  He promptly informed me that, as he so delicately put it, "Satan comes to lie, deceive, steal, and destroy...and that's exactly what you're doing with that fake money!  Now Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly.  So if you don't have anything to give me, please leave!"  (That's his favorite verse in the Bible as I learned in a few minutes)  Raymond immediately put up his defense screen that said, "I don't trust you, and you don't have anything for me."  It took my naive and innocent persistence to show him, after many heated words were thrown at me, that I really did care about him as a human being, and I didn't have a hidden agenda.  Once he truly trusted me, he became a completely different person, very articulate, proclaiming truths from the Bible, and sharing with me how to interact with a homeless person.  Raymond taught me that people don't trust you, and they are convinced you don't really care about them.  You might want to give them some food, or money, but they don't really believe you care deeply about their human condition.  That night, I was taught priceless truths about a people group I could not relate to until  that night.  Raymond at one point had to use the restroom (field) and so I got to hold a sign that said, "Need Tent" and tried to get people to stop and give me something that would help.  For that moment I felt completely disconnected from the people in cars flying by or ignoring me, that I understood a tiny portion of what he felt.  I had more in common with him at that point, that any of the "normal" people driving by.   Raymond and I had dinner together there at the overpass and we connected on a level that touched both of us.  We met him the next morning to give him our old tent, and some food and drink.  He left me with a hug and his favorite book, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" of which I am excited to read.  

As God can only design it, Brother Gene Lehman was our minister that Sunday and he spoke intently towards the end of his sermon that if you listen carefully you can almost hear the hoofbeats of the Four Horseman. 

I don't know if I'll ever see Raymond again until we both reach our heavenly goal, but I now know one more soul desiring to serve Jesus that I knew before I stopped that night.  We never know what lessons we can learn or how lives can be touched, including our own, if we serve our God by serving others less fortunate.

   

Photo by Ted Szukalski

So often I walk by someone and the thought occurs to me, I should talk to that person about their eternity.  Sometimes, I'm ashamed to admit, I walk by.  But sometimes the Spirit works in my heart so much so that I hang around a while and usually a door opens that allows me to speak to that person.  We can't talk to everyone we see, but there are certain people almost everywhere we go that God has been working on their hearts.  If we are willing to be his mouthpiece, he will work out the details!

Often we will walk into a store or restaurant and I will look at Laura and she knows that I am going to have to talk to someone.  She usually finds a comfortable seat somewhere and begins to pray for the person that I approach.  Once at a restaurant a worker was taking a break and I was able to talk with her about life and after sharing with her a bit about the Law and Grace, she told me she had recently given her heart to Jesus.  It was my opportunity to make sure she understood what true conversion is and what it means to "repent."  

Sometimes it's young believers that need encouragement, sometimes it's lost souls that need to be shown the way, the truth, and the life.

I am going to begin to share with you some of the witnessing encounters I have had as it will be a good reminder to me to keep pressing on, and hopefully it encourages you that you can do the same.  It's like everyone says about everything else...."If everyone would do their part, the problem would not be as huge."  Only, this is the only problem that truly matters in the end.  

Just this Monday I received a call from a gentleman, speaking english with an Indian twist, with Portfolio Loan wondering if I'd be interested in taking advantage of their new "low rates".  I explained to him that we were not interested in an mortgage as we already went through out home bank to take care of our home financing needs.  As he continued to talk as if I hadn't said what I said, that still small voice spoke to me and reminded me that this was actually an opportunity to share Christ with a soul, and not an annoying call about 7 months late.  I listened to him finished and then asked if he would like to switch conversations and answer a few questions I had for him!  :)  He, to my surprise, was more than happy to listen to me as I walked him from the 10 Commandments as the Holy standard of a Righteous God, to his personal sins, to the only cure that is available, that is, Jesus and his death on the cross.  To my astonishment, Sunny as I now know him by, had never heard of Jesus, the 10 Commandments, or what Christianity has to offer!  After I blew as much by him as possible in about 2 min. Sunny said to me, "I believe everything you have told me is absolutely true." He could not thank me enough, as chills ran up my spine in amazement at what our God continues to work in men across the globe.  Sunny, by the way, is a remote telewhatever working from his office in India for Porfolio Loans in Texas!  Yowza!  Our God is bigger than our weaknesses!  

The cool thing is Sunny gave me his email and wanted me to send him more information.  He actually called me the next day on accident, thinking I was again a potential customer!  haha  We laughed and he was glad to talk to me again!  I think it was just God's way of reminding me that someone across the globe is waiting for His Word.  (Sunny told me the second time he called that he was really looking forward to getting more information about Jesus and repentance and faith and that he told his friends all about our discussion!)

So next time you really feel like letting the telemarketer hear the phone slam, try asking him if he would consider himself to be a "good person".    ;)  

Wow!    

The purpose of this blog is a few fold....

First and foremost: Bring honor and glory to our God.

Second: To encourage myself to continue to share the Gospel more often to the lost.

Third: To encourage and urge other Christians to do the same.

Finally: To develop a dialogue with other Christians about witnessing.  How?  Why?  to Whom?